Broomfield nonprofits hope for piece of Colorado Gives Day pie

By Megan Quinn Enterprise Staff Writer

Posted:
12/02/2012 01:00:00 AM MST

MUSIC APPRECIATION: FRIENDS of Broomfield staff member Nikki Smith, left, works with a blindfolded Kathryn Hynek while staff member Cory Sullivan plays guitar during a music appreciation session at FRIENDS on Thursday. FRIENDS for the first year is participating in Colorado Gives Day on Tuesday.
(
David R. Jennings
)

Local organizations participating in the 24-hour fundraising drive include:

Broomfield FISH

Broomfield Symphony Orchestra

Broomfield Community Foundation

Senior Resources of Broomfield Inc.

CASA of Adams and Broomfield Counties

FRIENDS of Broomfield

Hospice Care of Boulder and Broomfield Counties

Community Food Share

Mental Health Partners

Adams 12 Five Star Education Foundation

A Precious Child

Ballet Nouveau Colorado

Flatirons Habitat For Humanity

Forward Steps

Birds of Prey Foundation

When Colorado Gives Day participants collectively raised $12.8 million for charities during a 24-hour fundraising drive last year, Broomfield nonprofits took note.

To help provide an extra boost to programs, events and services, Broomfield-area nonprofits will participate in Colorado Gives Day Tuesday, many for the first time. The third annual fundraising drive asks Coloradans to visit one Website, givingfirst.org, to donate money to their favorite charities. The Community First Foundation and FirstBank organize the event.

Organizations such as FRIENDS of Broomfield, which provides services for adults with developmental disabilities, hope Colorado Gives Day offers them the visibility they need to grow their support base. This is FRIENDS' first year participating in Colorado Gives Day.

"It's a great vehicle to raise money for our organization, help promote what we do and hopefully get the word out to individuals who may need our services," said executive director Gina Coufal.

FRIENDS is one of more than 1,000 Colorado organizations listed on the Giving First Website. FRIENDS, along with other charities, went through the Community First Foundation's strict application process to be part of the fundraising drive. Coufal said the application process, which involves publishing detailed mission statements and financial information, helps add legitimacy to organizations that need funding the most.

"It's understood the (charities) have gone through a rigorous process, and if donors make a donation, it's going to a solid organization," she said.

Although Medicaid covers about 70 percent of FRIENDS' budget, the other 30 percent must come from community donations, grants and other sources, Coufal said. She hopes to bring in about $25,000 to support counseling programs, adult day programs and other tools to help adults with disabilities lead full lives.

"Each year, we struggle with how to meet our operating expenses while continuing to provide person-centered care," she said.

Broomfield FISH director Terry Kiernan said Colorado Gives Day is one key to changing the way the nonprofit collects donations. While FISH always needs donations of non-perishable food items, Kiernan hopes also to encourage donors to make cash donations that can be used more flexibly to purchase food, provide rental assistance or fund other immediate needs. Since FISH can purchase food wholesale, cash donations offer more buying power, he said.

FISH also is beginning to expand its Web presence and hopes potential donors might discover it when browsing for food banks or related agencies on the Giving First site, he said.

"Up until three years ago, we never really asked for money from anyone, and always functioned on whatever came through the door," he said.

Kiernan is quick to point out the community's generosity has kept FISH thriving. Yet the organization is expanding, too.

Sustainability also is a factor for David Oliver, president of the Broomfield Symphony Orchestra board.

The group, which brings in most of its money from ticket sales, didn't have a place on its Website to collect additional donations, and the occasional donor sometimes wrote the organization a check or two after performances. Now, the symphony can use the Giving First Website as its primary way to safely collect donations, he said.

"We never really had a convenient way for people to donate online before," he said.

The orchestra hopes to bring in at least $1,500 to help purchase new percussion instruments.

For nonprofits participating for the second or third time, Colorado Gives Day donations provide a fundraising boost that makes a big difference.

Britta Robinson, development director for A Precious Child, said the organization brought in $12,000 during the 24-hour drive last year.

"Colorado Gives Day has allowed us to serve many more children that we otherwise would not have been able to provide for, because funds allowed us to purchase a much-needed van that helped us deliver backpacks, gifts, clothing and coats to children in need throughout the course of the past year," she stated in an e-mail.

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